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Meadville Lombard Announces Humanist Archive

Posted on February 19, 2013 by John Hooper

Meadville Lombard Theological School in cooperation with HUUmanists Association has announced the establishment of a Humanist Archive to be housed in the Wiggin Library at the school. The details of the announcement may be found on the Meadville Lombard website.

The originating scholars and theologians of American Humanism, primarily early and mid 20th century Unitarians, generated an astonishing body of work. These seminal books, sermons, speeches and other writings are important foundational documents of Unitarian Universalism. Not only must they not be allowed to drift into obscurity, they need to be reintroduced to the public discourse. They have much to say to present generations of theologians, scholars, and other seekers, who have grown skeptical of traditional religious practices and beliefs.

Half of the signers of the original Humanist Manifesto were Unitarian ministers who promulgated "a religion without gods." We Humanists, secular or religious, must address the contemporary longing for understanding, compassion and love within a beloved community - felt even by those who are not affiliated with any religious tradition (the so-called "Nones").

Our Humanist forebears sought to move our faith beyond mere theism or atheism to a worldview that celebrates not only the importance of rational inquiry but also the shared wonder of lived experience. They were eloquent in their descriptions of how we might try to do it. We UUs need their witness now more than ever.

Dr. John B. Hooper, president of the Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association (UUHA), is a retired research and development director who lives in Connecticut. John, a long-term UU, is a Board Member of The Humanist Institute, The Institute for Humanist Studies, The Secular Coalition for America Education Fund, The American Humanist Association (ex officio), the Yale Humanist Community, and the Connecticut Coalition of Reason. John is also a cofounder of and advisor to Humanists and Freethinkers of Fairfield County, CT (HFFC).

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About the UU Humanists

The Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association (formerly HUUmanists) is committed to Humanist principles of reason, compassion, and human fulfillment enumerated in the Humanist Manifestos and in the seven Principles of the Unitarian Universalist Association. We seek (1) to promote a broad acceptance of Humanism in our society, particularly throughout the Unitarian Universalist Association and its congregations, and (2) to provide an active interface between Unitarian Universalists and the secular community.